230 Brewster on Birds of Fort Walla Walla , W. T. 
about Fort Walla Walla, and Capt. Bendire secured no less than fourteen j 
specimens, of which twelve are now before me. In a general way these 
are referable as follows : eight to saturatus , two to subarcticus , and two 
to a form apparently about intermediate between these races. Five of the 
representatives of saturatus are typical, while the remaining three grade 
into the intermediate form which, in turn, approaches one of the light 
specimens referred to subarcticus. The latter example is not typical, ! 
but its companion differs from an Arizona skin only in having slightly j 
darker dorsal markings and a little stronger rufous cast about the face 
and across the breast, the color and markings elsewhere being essentially 
the same. 
The occurrence of these three forms together is not remarkable, for two 
of , them may reasonably be regarded as migrants from distant and prob- ; 
ably widely separated regions. The third possibly represents a resident I 
type, but on this point I have no direct evidence. 
38. FalcO columbarius suckleyi? Ridgw. Black Merlin. — A I 
beautiful adult male Pigeon Hawk, taken at Fort Walla Walla Oct. 18, 
1881, presents such a puzzling combination of characters that, after care- jj 
fully comparing it with all the material available, I am still at a loss for a 
definite opinion regarding its precise identity or relationship. It most close- | 
ly resembles highly colored, autumnal adults of F. columbarius , but the 
under parts, excepting the throat and a small central space on the abdo- 
men, are rich rusty-ochraceous — almost orange-chestnut on the breast and 
tibiae, while the usual cinereous above is intensified on the 'back to a 
nearly pure plumbeous ; the markings of the under parts, also, are unusu- 
ally coarse and numerous. In these respects it agrees with a bird in the 
National Museum from Santa Clara, California, but it differs from this 
specimen, as well as from every other adult that I have seen, in having 
the outer webs of all the primaries, excepting the first two, conspicuous- 
ly marked with rounded spots of pale ochraceous. 
With F. richardsoni it cannot be consistently associated, for the adult, 
as well as the young of that species, always has six distinct light bars on 
the tail, while the example under consideration possesses but five. More- 
over, the adult male of richardsoni is very much lighter colored than the 
adult of columbarius , whereas the present bird is decidedly darker. The 
adult of suckleyi is unknown, but we should expect to find it, like the 
young, with sparse, inconspicuous spotting on the lining of the wings. 
In the Walla Walla bird these- markings are as numerous and well-defined 
as in columbarius. 
Taking all these considerations into account, and bearing in mind the 
unstable character of so many of the types furnished by this locality, it j 
seems most reasonable to assume that Capt. Bendire’s specimen repre- 
sents the adult plumage of a form which, although referable to suckleyi , 
is more or less intermediate between that race and true columbarius. But l 
additional material must be forthcoming before the question can be defin- I 
itely settled. 
39. Falco richardsoni Ridgw. Richardson’s Merlin. — Of this 
well-marked species the collection contains two immature females, dated 
